Sofia Thorup

Other information	RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO DENMARK Born in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation, she began her international skating career competing for the Russian Federation before switching her sporting allegiance to Denmark in 2023. "I am grateful to every specialist, trainer and medical staff [in the Russian Federation] who helped me to achieve such high results, but especially I want to mention my personal trainer, Svetlana Tretyakova. Insisting on trying short track, she managed to get me to national level in just three years. She has also supported and continues to support me on my sporting journey. My sporting career isn't done but it's time to turn the page. When I decided to move to Denmark, so many people supported my decision, and I really appreciated that the Danish Skating Union took me into their family. It would mean so much if I could repay their kindness and acceptance of me." (schaatsen.nl, 04 Apr 2023; Instagram profile, 04 Apr 2023; dr.dk, 06 Oct 2023) HIATUS In June 2022 she announced that she would be taking time away from the sport and would miss the 2022/23 season. "After the [2022] Olympic Games [in Beijing], there was a very long and painful period of making a decision to end my career. The fact is that the 2021/22 season was very difficult for me psychologically. I stopped enjoying training, going to the races was torture for me, the fear of failing at the Olympics and the difficulty in understanding with the coaches. After a long break, I realised that I did not want to part with my professional career, although after the Olympics I was sure that was inevitable. I'm gearing up for the 2023/24 season and I sincerely believe that this will help me get back into the sport stronger." (sport-express.ru, 13 Sep 2022)
Other sports	She has represented Denmark on the speed skating World Cup circuit, and also competed in speed skating at the 2024 World Sprint Championships in Inzell, Germany. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Mar 2024)
Ambitions	To compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan-Cortina. (dr.dk, 06 Oct 2023)
Hobbies	Snowboarding, watching films and cartoons, camping. (Athlete, 09 Dec 2020)

Reason for choosing this sport	"I did figure skating between the ages of five and 12, but I did not get any good results so I switched to short track. Within two years, I got invited into the [Russian] junior national team, and in 2014 I was invited into the Olympic team. So I chose to focus on short track."
When and where did you begin this sport?	She took up short track in 2010 in St. Petersburg, Russian Federation.

Nicknames	Sonya (Facebook profile, 06 Oct 2021)
Awards and honours	She was named among the 10 Best Athletes of the Year for 2019 by the Physical Education and Sports Committee of St. Petersburg, Russian Federation. (gov.spb.ru, 23 Dec 2019) In 2015 she received the title of Honoured Master of Sport in the Russian Federation. (Athlete, 15 Oct 2017; minsport.gov.ru, 03 Jun 2015)

www.facebook.com/sofia.prosvirnova

Memorable sporting achievement	Winning silver in the 1000m at the 2018 World Championships in Montreal, QC, Canada, and claiming bronze in the 1500m at the 2019 World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. (Athlete, 09 Dec 2020)
Injuries	She damaged ligaments in her ankle at the 2015 National Championships in the Russian Federation. She sustained a similar injury in the same ankle while training in 2016 and in 2017. (Athlete, 03 Nov 2018)
Sporting philosophy / motto	"You reap what you sow." (Athlete, 03 Nov 2018)
Hero / Idol	Italian short track skater Arianna Fontana, Russian snowboarder Alena Zavarzina. (Athlete, 26 Sep 2018)
Famous relatives	Her husband Viktor Hald Thorup has represented Denmark in speed skating, competing at the Olympic Winter Games in 2018 and 2022. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Mar 2024; Viktor Hald Thorup Instagram profile, 11 Mar 2023)
Most influential person in career	Coach Svetlana Tretyakova. (Athlete, 09 Dec 2020)